A suburban Seattle police officer is on trial for murder after shooting and killing a man outside a convenience store in 2019. Auburn Police Officer Jeff Nelson shot Jesse Sarey twice while attempting to arrest him for disorderly conduct. This incident marked the third person Nelson had killed on duty in the past eight years. Nelson’s attorney claimed that he believed Sarey had grabbed a folding knife from him, but in reality, the knife had fallen on the ground and been picked up by a witness. The trial is significant as it is the second case to go to trial since Washington voters made it easier to charge police in 2018 by removing the malice standard.
Sarey, who was homeless and struggled with mental health and substance use, was reportedly causing a disturbance by throwing things at cars on the day of the incident. King County Special Prosecutor Angelo Calfo argued that Nelson ignored his training, which required him to use de-escalation techniques and officer safety protocols. Instead of waiting for backup, Nelson approached Sarey and engaged in physical altercation with him. Despite Sarey not complying with commands, Calfo stated that Nelson should have used his training to avoid the need for lethal force. Video evidence showed Nelson shooting Sarey twice, with the second shot, to the forehead, being deemed unjustified.
Nelson’s attorney claimed that he will testify during the trial, stating that he believed Sarey posed a threat and was reaching for his gun during the struggle. Nelson has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and first-degree assault. As an Iraq war veteran, Nelson joined the department in 2008 and has been involved in multiple incidents involving deadly force. The city of Auburn has paid out millions of dollars in settlements related to Nelson’s actions as a police officer. The trial is taking place in King County Superior Court and is expected to last several weeks, with jurors not being allowed to hear evidence about Nelson’s prior uses of deadly force in other cases.
One of the incidents involving Nelson occurred in 2011, where he shot and killed Brian Scaman, a Vietnam veteran with mental issues. Scaman was shot in the head after refusing to drop a knife while being pulled over for a burned-out headlight. In another case, Nelson shot and killed Isaiah Obet in 2017 after Obet reportedly attempted to carry out a carjacking with a knife. Despite these past incidents, Nelson was cleared of any wrongdoing by an inquest jury. The current trial will focus on Nelson’s actions during the altercation with Sarey, with the prosecution arguing that he failed to follow proper protocols and unnecessarily resorted to deadly force. Jurors will have to determine whether Nelson’s actions were justified based on the evidence presented during the trial.
